FLORENCE, Alabama – Alabama Chanin,
the brainchild of fashion designer and author Natalie Chanin, recently expanded
with The Factory + Café, a new multipurpose venue that operates as a store,
studio, full-service eatery and meeting space in Florence.

Last year,
Alabama Chanin began working on the 5,000-square-foot expansion at its
Florence production facility and workspace, which is known as The Factory. About six years ago, the lifestyle and design company
relocated from a three-bedroom house in Florence to a 32-year-old textile
manufacturing building in an area industrial park.

The space, formerly
known as Building 14, was previously home to Tee Jays Manufacturing. Since
Alabama Chanin took over in 2008, the facility has offered daily guided tours
and become a venue for workshops, events and dinners.

Hoping to
help revitalize the textile industry in Alabama, the company's new flagship
store features the Alabama Chanin collection, including machine-sewn clothing,
home good and dinnerware. The shop, which also sells books, local music, and
artisan products, is the only location where you can view the Alabama Chanin location
in its entirety.

The café portion,
which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, serves a
menu developed by Nigerian-born pastry chef Yewande Komolafe, who acts as the café
consultant.

A soft launch of the updated space in Florence took place in early November.

This spring,
the company plans to hold several events, such as farm-to-table dinners, with
local and regional musicians, visiting artists and chefs.